Growth of the Aspen Acres Fire was limited to just over 2,100 acres overnight, and the fire was 15% contained as of the morning of July 8.
The fire that began June 29 has now burned 96,031 acres in Pueblo and Custer counties, and 1,677 personnel are responding to the blaze.
The seventh-largest fire in Colorado history has seen limited spread in recent days compared to the explosive growth it saw for much of last week, as it’s grown just over 4,500 acres over the past two days.
At least 266 homes — 185 in Pueblo County and 81 in Custer County — and four businesses have burned, making the fire the fifth-most destructive in state history.
No civilian injuries or deaths have been reported.
The cause and origin of the fire are unknown, but fire officials have said it was human-caused, which rules out natural causes such as lightning.
Some mandatory evacuations have been lifted, but most remain in place.
Those re-entering previously evacuated areas will need a color-coded card from the Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) to return to areas approved for re-entry. Those cards can only be obtained by visiting the DAC in person at 29 Lehigh Ave. in Pueblo.
People returning to some fire-affected areas after evacuations are lifted will need to use bottled water for drinking until further notice due to damaged water infrastructure systems, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced Tuesday.
Residents served by Pine Drive Water District or Signal Mountain Ranch Property Owners Water Company will need to use bottled water for drinking, making ice, making baby formula, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and preparing food until the systems are repaired and tests show the water is safe to drink.
The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office released a nearly 9-minute drone video on July 7 showing some of the areas ravaged by the fire in Beulah, with officials planning to release footage of additional areas as it becomes available.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Chieftain Editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@usatodayco.com or on X at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news; subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Aspen Acres Fire tops 96,000 acres with 15% containment on July 8
